Rotorua - Volcanoes, Geysers & Hot Pools

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September 25 – Rotorua’s main claim to fame is its volcanic features, so today we explored one of these sites. Wai-O-Tapu is 18 square kilometers and has a number of thermal features including vents, fumaroles, boiling mud and colorful pools with names like Devil’s Bath, Champagne Pool and Artist’s Palette. It was like a mini Yellow Stone. The most prominent feature in the park is the Lady Knox Geyser that erupts at 10:15 every day (with a little help.) As nature is never this punctual, some surfactant is added to the cone and within a few minutes, off it goes shooting water (and some suds) high into the air! This trick of getting the geyser to erupt was first discovered by prisoners in the early 1900’s who used the vent to clean their clothes. The hot water did the job, but the clothes were then hurled into the air when they added the suds!



Our next stop was Huka Falls on the Waikato River. The color of the water here is a stunning clear, icy blue. The river below the falls is used by jet boats to take loads of tourists close to the base of the falls. At the falls, we met a couple from England that had also stayed at the Redwoods B&B. We had great conversations at breakfast with them on two mornings. As we had also seen them earlier in the day at the Lady Knox Geyser, I decided the ‘Universe’ was telling me that I should get a photo of Johnathan and Beverly.



From the falls, we drove to New Zealand’s largest lake. Lake Taupo was created in an ancient volcanic eruption. Across the lake are snow-covered mountains which are dormant volcanos and look much like photos I have seen of Mt. Fuji in Japan. We had a late lunch and headed back to Rotorua.



Our final stop for the day was Waikite, a small resort with several thermal pools of varying temperatures. This resort is in the country and sits among green hills and forests. It’s not near the regular tourist spots so it’s less crowded and not nearly as expensive or ‘fancy’. We moved from pool to pool, meeting a few people, and looking out into the ravine as the sun went down. It was a great way to end the day.

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Photos

Ta-da!
Lady Knox Geyser

Balancing Act
Camera equipment on the front

Balancing Act
Camera equipment on the back